Jawans Shot At By Hidden Terrorists In Valley

Jammu: A CRPF constable was injured when a terrorist opened fire hiding behind stone pelters in Khudwani village area of Kulgam in south Kashmir. Efforts are being made to evacuate the constable who received bullet injuries in the arm. Terrorists using stone pelters as a shield to target the security forces, is an alarming trend, top sources monitoring the situation in the troubled valley told India Today.

There have been repeated instances of security forces being targeted not just by stone pelters but by terrorists shielded by stone pelters. “It is a double whammy for the security forces on ground. They cannot fire back at the terrorists because there is a crowd of stone pelters between the terrorists and the security forces. And within minutes the terrorists melt into the built up area,” sources said. The security forces were apprehending this trouble especially after a grenade was hurled last month at the CRPF personnel in the troubled Nauhata area of downtown Srinagar during the evening withdrawal. 22 CRPF personnel were injured and two are still critical, one with a splinter in the brain.

Recently the personal security officer of a bureaucrat opened fire in self defence when their vehicle was surrounded by a mob and the miscreants tried to set it on fire after assaulting the bureaucrat. “The PSO opened fire in self defence but he too received a bullet injury in his leg. He too was fired at by the mob. They managed to escape and found shelter in the nearby camp of the CRPF,” an official privy to the ground situation said.

The security establishment is also alarmed by the emergence of foreign terrorists in towns and villages. “Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists till a few months ago would be hiding in forested areas but look at the latest incident when two LeT terrorists addressed a public gathering in Kulgam. Both terrorists have been identified. But there was no police in the vicinity to engage them. And the terrorists knew this,” sources added.
India Today